ESPN's Jemele Hill -- who's from Detroit -- also weighed in ... saying, "Rest in power, Aretha. You were not only the Queen of Soul, but a warrior, a survivor, an icon, and a protector. You are Detroit’s heartbeat. Rest well, Queen."

Hill added, "Aretha was Detroit’s sister, auntie, momma, Queen and homegirl — all in one career. There are few people that defend, honor and protect someone the way we did Aretha. You can talk about our economy, and our crime, but say something about Re-Re, and you’ll get dealt with. Quick."

5/10/2018 12:32 PM PDT

Bill Belichick says the New England Patriots didn't know about Matt Patricia's 1996 rape case ... but he's voicing his support for the Detroit Lions head coach.

"The New England Patriots were not aware of the matter which recently came to light," Belichick said Thursday.

"For 14 years in our organization, Matt conducted himself with great integrity and is known to be an outstanding coach, person and family man. We have always been confident in Matt’s character and recommended him highly to become the head coach of the Detroit Lions."

Patricia and a college football teammate were accused of raping a 21-year-old woman 22 years ago during a spring break trip to South Padre Island, off the coast of Texas.

2/6/2018 8:19 AM PST

Exclusive Details

Lions WR Marvin Jones ﻿just submitted an early entry for NFL tattoo of the year -- a DOPE neck/back tribal piece with an even doper story.

Turns out, Jones' great grandma was full Cherokee Native American ... so with the help of his Tongan teammate, Haloti Ngata, Marvin says he got hooked with one of the true OGs in the tribal game﻿to pay tribute to his roots.

But there's a twist -- Marvin tells TMZ Sports he made sure to tie in something that reps his football background (can you figure it out?).

The craziest part -- the tattooer FREEHANDED IT ... and still finished the tat in just 2 sessions!!

6/23/2017 12:16 PM PDT

EXCLUSIVE

1:38 PM PT -- We spoke to Wilson's lawyer, Mark Schamel, who tells us, "There's video of the incident that shows Ms. Leach is attacked. Mr. Wilson is a witness, Ms. Leach is the victim and Ms. Jackson is the defendant."

"She's been charged criminally. Her civil claim is meritless and I think she will be convicted for this shortly."Detroit Lions safety Tavon Wilson is being sued by his baby mama -- who claims the NFL player punched her in the face during a nightclub altercation in May 2016 and broke her nose. But Wilson claims the case is BS.

The woman behind the suit is Alanda Jackson -- who dated Wilson from 2011 to 2014. They have a 3-year-old child together.

Alanda claims she encountered Wilson at Bliss nightclub on May 14 -- where she got into a verbal altercation with Wilson's current girlfriend, Simone Leach.

While Alanda and Simone were arguing, Wilson allegedly grabbed Alanda, threw her to the ground and began punching her in the face.

Alanda claims the attack lasted several minutes before security broke it up.

In her suit, Alanda claims a female friend who was with her at the club was stabbed by a member of Tavon's entourage during the melee. Both women were hospitalized.

Alanda claims she suffered major injuries in the attack -- including a broken nose, a black eye and cuts on her back. She's suing for more than $2.5 MILLION.

The other alleged victim is also suing Tavon -- claiming the NFL player ordered his entourage to "f*ck 'em up" when the initial verbal altercation took place.

We contacted D.C. police who confirm a report was filed at the time of the incident -- but Alanda was the one arrested because Simone claimed she was the real victim.

Wilson is fighting both lawsuits -- he's asked the judge to throw them both out.

3/16/2017 12:20 AM PDT

Spielman -- who like Zeke, played his college ball at Ohio State -- says the running back needs to grow up already and start making better decisions off the field.

"I want people to stop saying he's a 'young man,'" Spielman said ... "There comes a point in time when we all know right from wrong. At what point is it okay to pull some woman's shirt down in public?"

"He is bringing this upon himself. Nobody is bringing this upon him. And he's not young. He is of the age where he knows right from wrong, so lets stop with the young card, I can't stand it. There are no more young cards."

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